Method for improved reinforcement baffling and sealing

ABSTRACT

A method for reinforcing, baffling or sealing a vehicle structure, comprising the steps of providing one or more materials having a horizontal axis, at least one terminating edge, and an initial length, forming openings in the one or more materials, and applying the one or more materials to a location requiring reinforcement, baffling, sealing or any combination thereof.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to a baffling, sealing orreinforcement member that includes one or more materials with formedopenings along the one or more materials that allow the materials tostretch.

BACKGROUND

The transportation industry continues to require methods of baffling,sealing and reinforcement that provide improved functionality whilesimultaneously providing reduced weight and cost. Often, improvedfunctionality is accompanied by an increase in weight and almost alwaysincludes an increased cost. For example, improved strength in rigidmaterials often requires additional material which leads to an increasein both cost and weight. Alternatively, lighter weight materials withimproved strength often include an increase in cost as well. Expandablematerials are wrought with additional problems. Materials with improvedexpansion are often difficult to control and are usually paired withincreased cost. Additionally, often as the strength of an expandablematerial increases so does the weight. Adhesive materials also show atendency for increased cost associated with improved adhesion. Thepresent invention addresses the need for materials that show improvedability for baffling, sealing and reinforcing while providing reducedweight and reduced cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect the present invention contemplates a method forreinforcing, baffling, or sealing a vehicle structure comprising:providing one or more materials for reinforcing, baffling or sealing avehicle structure wherein the one or more materials has a horizontalaxis, at least one terminating edge, and an initial length; formingopenings in the one or more materials wherein: the openings are formedin repetitive patterns along the one or more materials; the forming ofthe openings removes no material so that waste is minimized; stretchingthe one or more materials to a placement length that is at least 1.3times the initial length, wherein the placement length corresponds to alength of a location requiring reinforcement, baffling, sealing or anycombination thereof; applying the one or more stretched materials to thelocation requiring reinforcement, baffling, sealing or any combinationthereof so that the total amount of material applied is less than wouldbe required if the material contained no openings.

This first aspect of the invention may further be characterized by oneor any combination of the following features: the one or more materialsincludes an expandable material that is formed of a heat activatedmaterial having foamable characteristics, the one or more materialsincludes a rigid polymeric material, the one or more materials includesan adhesive material, the openings are formed with a die-cuttingprocess, the openings are formed with a rotary cutting process, theopenings are formed in an alternating manner, so that the one or morematerials containing the openings remain connected, the openings areformed perpendicular to the horizontal axis of the one or morematerials, a plurality of the openings sever the one or more materialsat the horizontal axis so that the one or more materials remainconnected at only the at least one terminating edge, a plurality of theopenings sever the one or more materials at the at least one terminatingedge so that the one or more materials remain connected at only alongthe horizontal axis, the openings alternate so that every other openingsevers the one or more materials at the at least one terminating edgeand the remaining adjacent openings sever the one or more materials atthe horizontal axis so that stretching capability of the one or morematerials is maximized while the one or more materials remain connected,the one or more materials are twisted upon application to the locationrequiring reinforcement, baffling, sealing or any combination thereof.

In a second aspect of the present invention, there is contemplated amethod for reinforcing, baffling, or sealing a vehicle structurecomprising: providing one or more materials for reinforcing, baffling orsealing a vehicle structure wherein the one or more materials has ahorizontal axis, at least one terminating edge, and an initial length;forming openings in the one or more materials wherein: the openings areformed perpendicular to the horizontal axis; the openings alternate sothat every other opening severs the one or more materials at the atleast one terminating edge and the remaining adjacent openings sever theone or more materials at the horizontal axis; the forming of theopenings removes no material so that waste is minimized; stretching theone or more materials to a placement length that is at least 1.3 timesthe initial length, wherein the placement length corresponds to a lengthof a location requiring reinforcement, baffling, sealing or anycombination thereof; applying the one or more stretched materials to thelocation requiring reinforcement, baffling, sealing or any combinationthereof so that the total amount of material applied is less than wouldbe required if the material contained no openings.

This aspect may be further characterized by one or any combination ofthe following features: the one or more materials includes an expandablematerial that is formed of a heat activated material having foamablecharacteristics, the openings allow the expandable material to expand toa more consistent height and width than if the material contained noopenings, the one or more materials includes a rigid polymeric material,the one or more materials includes an adhesive material, the openingsare formed with a die-cutting process.

In a further aspect, the present invention contemplates a method forreinforcing, baffling, or sealing a vehicle structure comprising:providing an expandable material for reinforcing, baffling or sealing avehicle structure wherein the expandable material has a horizontal axis,two terminating edges, and an initial length; die-cutting openings inthe expandable material wherein: the openings are cut perpendicular tothe horizontal axis; the openings alternate so that every other openingsevers the expandable material at the two terminating edges and theremaining adjacent openings sever the expandable material at thehorizontal axis so that the openings allow the expandable material toexpand to a more consistent height and width than if the materialcontained no openings; the die-cutting of the openings removes nomaterial so that waste is minimized; stretching the expandable materialto a placement length that is at least 1.5 times the initial length,wherein the placement length corresponds to a length of a locationrequiring reinforcement, baffling, sealing or any combination thereof;applying the stretched expandable material to the location requiringreinforcement, baffling, sealing or any combination thereof so that thetotal amount of expandable material applied is less than would berequired if the expandable material contained no openings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates an expandable material with no formed openings.

FIG. 1B illustrates the expandable material of FIG. 1A including formedopenings.

FIG. 2A illustrates the expandable material of FIG. 1A applied to abaffle including a carrier.

FIG. 2B illustrates the expandable material of FIG. 1B applied to abaffle including a carrier.

FIG. 3A illustrates the baffle of FIG. 2A after activation of theexpandable material.

FIG. 3B illustrates the baffle of FIG. 2B after activation of theexpandable material.

FIG. 4 illustrates a baffle where both the carrier and expandablematerial include complimentary formed openings.

FIG. 5 illustrates a baffle including only a carrier material includingformed openings.

FIG. 6 illustrates an expandable material including formed openings thatare cut to fit a specific cavity shape.

FIG. 7 illustrates a material of the present invention applied to avehicle structure of circular shape.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The text of the drawings and the above Summary of the Invention areincorporated by reference. The entirety of all patents and publicationscited are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

The present invention allows for the customization of one or morematerials for baffling, sealing or reinforcement. The embodimentsdisclosed herein describe a method for forming openings in materials sothat the materials can be adjusted to a desired length, shape, curvatureor any combination thereof for more precise fit within a vehiclestructure. The materials disclosed herein can be further customized forpreferred expansion characteristics.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show an expandable material 10 before (FIG. 1A) andafter (FIG. 1B) forming of the openings 11. Openings 11 a are shown astwo slits severing the expandable material 10 from both terminatingedges 12 while the expandable material remains connected at thehorizontal axis 13 between the two slits. Openings 11 b are shown as oneslit severing the expandable material at the horizontal axis 13, whilethe expandable material remains connected at the terminating edges 12.Openings 11 a and 11 b are shown as alternating along the length of theexpandable material. The openings 11 a and 11 b are shown as slitswithin the expandable material so that no material is removed duringcutting and waste is thereby minimized. The openings can be formed inany pattern and in any location along a material for baffling, sealingor reinforcement, so long as the openings allow the material to bestretched to at least 1.2 times the original length of the material. Theslits may be cut small so that minimal stretching occurs, or the slitsmay be large, such that only a small amount of the material remainsconnected thereby allowing for maximum stretching. The slits may beformed to any size according to the amount of stretching required. Theopenings may be formed in close proximity to one another as shown inFIG. 1B. The openings may also be formed with a predetermined amount ofspace between each opening so that a certain amount of un-cut materialremains between each opening. The openings may be formed in repetitivepatterns or may be formed at random locations with no specificorganization.

The size of the formed openings may generally depend on the size of thematerial being cut. In preferred embodiments, the openings willgenerally range from about 10 mm to about 150 mm. More preferably, thesize of the openings will range from about 15 mm to about 30 mm.However, if the material is particularly large (e.g., having a height(h) greater than about 200 mm) or particularly small (e.g., having aheight (h) less than about 40 mm) the openings may be larger or smallerin accordance with the relative height of the starting material.

In preferred embodiments, after the openings are formed, the materialcan be placed within and/or in contact with any vehicle structure at anylocation requiring baffling, sealing or reinforcement. FIG. 2A shows theexpandable material 10 shown at FIG. 1A applied to a baffle 20 includinga carrier 21. The expandable material is able to cover only a smallportion of the carrier. However, as illustrated in FIG. 2B, theexpandable material shown in FIG. 1B can be stretched and applied to thebaffle 20 and carrier 21. The expandable material with the openings 11is able to stretch the entire length of the carrier 21. The amount ofstarting expandable material 10 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is the same,but the formed openings 11 allow for extended coverage of the carrier21.

After application of the expandable material 10 into and/or in contactwith a vehicle structure, the expandable material may expand via apredetermined set of conditions. For example, exposure to certain levelsof heat may cause the expandable material to expand. FIG. 3A illustratesthe expansion characteristics of the expandable material 10 with noformed openings shown at FIGS. 1A and 2A. FIG. 3B illustrates theexpansion characteristics of the expandable material 10 with formedopenings 11 shown at FIGS. 1B and 2B. The expansion height (eh) of theexpandable material 10 shown in FIG. 3A is inconsistent along the lengthof the expandable material 10. The expansion height (eh) of theexpandable material 10 shown in FIG. 3B is relatively consistent alongthe length of the expandable material 10. A more consistent expansionheight allows for improved reinforcement, baffling, and sealing, whereasan inconsistent expansion height results in possible weak spots anddiscontinuous sealing.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the carrier 21 may alsoinclude formed openings, as shown in FIG. 4. The formed openings 11 inthe carrier material may be similar to the pattern shown in theexpandable material 10, as illustrated in FIG. 4, or the formed openingsmay be cut in a pattern that differs from that formed in the expandablematerial 10. In another embodiment, formed openings 11 may be formed inthe carrier material 21 and the carrier material may be used to providereinforcement without the use of any expandable material, as shown inFIG. 5.

In preferred embodiments, the material for baffling, sealing andreinforcement may have openings that are formed in a specific pattern sothat the material will fit the shape of a particular vehicle cavity. Asillustrated in FIG. 6, an expandable material 10 may have openingsformed so that the material may be stretched in two opposing directionsaccording to the profile of a vehicle cavity. Further, the expandablematerial may include sections 30 with no openings to account for vehiclecavity areas that may require an increased expansion height.

The openings may also be formed so that the material can be stretchedand curved to fit along a curved surface. As illustrated in FIG. 7,expandable material 10 may be cut so that smaller slits are formed inthe top portion 40 of the material and larger slits are formed in thebottom portion 41 of the material. This allows the expandable material10 to be placed along a curved surface 42 within a vehicle structure,while allowing the material to lay flush against the surface therebymaintaining equal coverage around the surface.

The formed openings of the present invention also provide space forfasteners and/or weld spots. Preferably, the material can be applied toa vehicle structure and additional parts or materials can be attachedwith fasteners that are exposed via a formed opening. Further, theformed openings may allow for welding processes to be performed on areasof a vehicle structure that are exposed via a formed opening. With theuse of existing materials for baffling, sealing and reinforcement, oncethe materials are applied to a vehicle structure, access to theunderlying structure is no longer feasible due to the solid nature ofthe materials. The formed openings of the present invention allow accessto an underlying vehicle structure after application of the material.

In preferred embodiments, the openings may be formed in the materials ofthe present invention using a die-cutting process. The openings may alsobe rotary cut. The openings may be press cut or cut with a laser orwater jet. Alternatively, the openings may be molded into the materials.

In preferred embodiments, the material for baffling, sealing, orreinforcement may include a means for maintaining the material withinand/or in contact with a vehicle structure. The means may include afastener such as a tree-fastener or a threaded screw fastener. Thefastener may also be provided in a variety of shapes and in a variety ofconfigurations so long as it can secure the material for baffling,sealing or reinforcement to a structure. Preferably, the fastener iscapable of securing multiple layers or types of materials to astructure. Examples of suitable fasteners include mechanical fasteners,clips, snap-fits, screws, hooks, combinations thereof or the like. Forattachment to a vehicle structure, the formed openings may also be cutto fit around tabs located on the vehicle structure in order to hold thematerial in place. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the one or morefasteners may be formed integral of a singular material with thematerial for baffling, sealing or reinforcement or may be formed of adifferent material and may be removably attached to the carrier.

According to one preferred embodiment, the fastener is provided as amagnetic material or an adhesive material that can attach (e.g., adhereor magnetically secure) material for baffling, sealing, or reinforcementto the structure. In such an embodiment, the magnetic material or theadhesive material may be interspersed with a carrier material or anexpandable material. Alternatively, the magnetic material or theadhesive material may be disposed upon the carrier material and/or theexpandable material or may be otherwise connected to the carriermaterial and/or the expandable material.

The material for baffling, sealing, or reinforcement can be formed of avariety materials such as polymers, elastomers, fibrous materials (e.g.,cloth or woven materials), thermoplastics, plastics, nylon, combinationsthereof or the like. The material may also be an expandable materialformed of a heat activated material having foamable characteristics. Thematerial may be generally dry to the touch or tacky and may be shaped inany form of desired pattern, placement, or thickness, but is preferablyof substantially uniform thickness. Though other heat-activatedmaterials are possible for the expandable material, a preferred heatactivated material is an expandable polymer or plastic, and preferablyone that is foamable. A particularly preferred material is a relativelyhigh expansion foam having a polymeric formulation that includes one ormore of an acrylate, an acetate, an elastomer, a combination thereof orthe like. For example, and without limitation, the foam may be anEVA/rubber based material, including an ethylene copolymer or terpolymerthat may possess an alpha-olefin. As a copolymer or terpolymer, thepolymer is composed of two or three different monomers, i.e., smallmolecules with high chemical reactivity that are capable of linking upwith similar molecules. Preferred materials are disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 7,199,165 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0117874.

A number of baffling or sealing foams are known in the art and may alsobe used to produce the foam. A typical foam includes a polymeric basematerial, such as one or more ethylene-based polymers which, whencompounded with appropriate ingredients (typically a blowing and curingagent), expands and cures in a reliable and predictable manner upon theapplication of heat or the occurrence of a particular ambient condition.From a chemical standpoint for a thermally-activated material, thestructural foam is usually initially processed as a flowable materialbefore curing, and upon curing, the material will typically cross-linkmaking the material incapable of further flow.

While the preferred materials for fabricating the expandable materialhave been disclosed, the expandable material can be formed of othermaterials provided that the material selected is heat-activated orotherwise activated by an ambient condition (e.g. moisture, pressure,time or the like) and cures under appropriate conditions for theselected application. One such material is the epoxy based resindisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,897, the teachings of which areincorporated herein by reference. Some other possible materials include,but are not limited to, polyolefin materials, copolymers and terpolymerswith at least one monomer type an alpha-olefin, phenol/formaldehydematerials, phenoxy materials, and polyurethane materials with high glasstransition temperatures. Additional materials may also be used such asthose disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,766,719; 5,755,486; 5,575,526; and5,932,680, incorporated by reference herein.

The materials for baffling, sealing and reinforcement may also includean adhesive. The adhesive material is typically an activatable materialmeaning that the adhesive material can be activated to melt, adhere,foam, expand, cure, thermoset or any combination thereof, although notnecessarily required. Such activation is typically brought about byexposure of the adhesive material to a condition such as heat,radiation, moisture or the like. It is also contemplated that theadhesive material may be used alone or may be used in conjunction with acarrier material, an expandable material or additional expandablematerial or any combination thereof for forming a reinforcement, baffleor seal.

The adhesive material may have a polymeric formulation that includes oris based upon one or more of an epoxy, an acrylate, an acetate, anethylene polymer (e.g., copolymer), an elastomer, a combination thereofor the like. The adhesive material may be particularly useful forapplications including sealing and/or structural reinforcement and/oradhesion. For structural applications, expansion of the adhesivematerial is typically small if there is any expansion at all.

The adhesive material may be a pressure-sensitive material that isactivatable upon application of predetermined pressure conditions. Oneparticularly useful material is described in U.S. Patent Publication No.2005/0241756.

In applications where the adhesive material or any other expandablematerial is a heat activated material, an important considerationinvolved with the selection and formulation of the material is thetemperature at which a material cures and, if expandable, thetemperature of expansion. Typically, the material becomes reactive(cures, expands or both) at higher processing temperatures, such asthose encountered in an automobile assembly plant, when the material isprocessed along with the automobile structures at elevated temperaturesor at higher applied energy levels, e.g., during coating (e.g., e-coat,paint or clearcoat) curing steps. While temperatures encountered in anautomobile assembly operation may be in the range of about 148.89° C. to204.44° C. (about 300° F. to 400° F.) for body shop applications (e.g.,e-coat) and, for paint shop applications, are commonly about 93.33° C.(about 200° F.) or slightly higher (e.g., 120° C.-150° C.).

The materials may also include a film layer, such as that disclosed inU.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2004/0076831 and 2005/0260399. The filmlayer may be applied prior to forming openings within the material ormay be applied after forming of the openings. The film layer may be usedto cover a material that is tacky to the touch. The film layer may beremoved from the material prior to application of the material to avehicle structure, such that the film will reveal a tacky surface of thematerial that will adhere to the structure.

Formation of the materials of the present invention may include avariety of processing steps depending on the desired configuration ofthe materials. The preferred materials can be processed by injectionmolding, extrusion compression molding or with a mini-applicator. It isgenerally contemplated one or more layers of materials or one or moredifferent types of materials, including any fasteners and adhesives maybe manually attached to each other, automatically attached to each otheror a combination thereof. Moreover, various processes such as molding(e.g., compression, injection or other molding), extrusion or the likemay be used to form a carrier material and an expandable materialindividually and such processes may be employed to attach thesematerials together.

The thickness of the materials of the present invention for any of theembodiments herein is from about 0.2 mm to about 10 mm, depending on thecomposition of material used. More preferably, the thickness of thematerials is about 1 mm to about 5 mm. Most preferably, the thickness ofthe material is from about 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm. The materials should bethick enough so that the risk of breakage after forming of the openingsis reduced. Further, the materials cannot be so thick so as to preventforming of the openings via any cutting method disclosed herein.

Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the variousstructures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of theinvention, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. Pluralstructural structures can be provided by a single integrated structure.Alternatively, a single integrated structure might be divided intoseparate plural structures. In addition, while a feature of the presentinvention may have been described in the context of only one of theillustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or moreother features of other embodiments, for any given application. It willalso be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the uniquestructures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods inaccordance with the present invention.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed. Aperson of ordinary skill in the art would realize however, that certainmodifications would come within the teachings of this invention.Therefore, the following claims should be studied to determine the truescope and content of the invention.

1. A method for reinforcing, baffling, or sealing a vehicle structurecomprising: providing one or more materials for reinforcing, baffling orsealing a vehicle structure wherein the one or more materials has ahorizontal axis, and at least one terminating edge; forming openings inthe one or more materials wherein: i. the openings are formed inrepetitive patterns along the one or more materials; ii. the forming ofthe openings removes no material so that waste is minimized; adjustingthe one or more materials to a curved placement shape wherein theplacement shape corresponds to a shape of a curved location requiringreinforcement, baffling, sealing or any combination thereof; applyingthe one or more materials to the curved location requiringreinforcement, baffling, sealing or any combination thereof.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the one or more materials includes anexpandable material that is formed of a heat activated material havingfoamable characteristics.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one ormore materials includes a rigid polymeric material.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more materials includes an adhesivematerial.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the openings are formed witha die-cutting process.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the openingsare formed with a rotary cutting process.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the openings are formed in an alternating manner, so that theone or more materials containing the openings remain connected.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the openings are formed perpendicular to thehorizontal axis of the one or more materials.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein a plurality of the openings sever the one or more materialscompletely. 10-12. (canceled)
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the oneor more materials are twisted upon application to the location requiringreinforcement, baffling, sealing or any combination thereof.
 14. Amethod for reinforcing, baffling, or sealing a vehicle structurecomprising: providing one or more materials for reinforcing, baffling orsealing a vehicle structure wherein the one or more materials has ahorizontal axis, and at least one terminating edge; forming openings inthe one or more materials wherein: i. the openings are formedperpendicular to the horizontal axis; ii. the openings cut completelythrough the material; iii. the forming of the openings removes nomaterial so that waste is minimized; applying the one or more materialsto a curved location requiring reinforcement, baffling, sealing or anycombination thereof wherein the openings facilitate curving of the oneor more materials.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or morematerials includes an expandable material that is formed of a heatactivated material having foamable characteristics.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the openings allow the expandable material to expandto a more consistent height and width than if the material contained noopenings.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more materialsincludes a rigid polymeric material.
 18. The method of claim 14, whereinthe one or more materials includes an adhesive material.
 19. The methodof claim 14, wherein the openings are formed with a die-cutting process.20. (canceled)
 21. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or morematerials includes two distinct materials.
 22. The method of claim 21,wherein openings are formed in only one of the two distinct materials.23. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more materials includestwo distinct materials.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein openings areformed in only one of the two distinct materials.